Dance of the Renovation

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BRIGHAM CITY -- City officials held a reception Wednesday to thank Sen. Bob Bennett and Rep. Rob Bishop for securing more than $1.1 million to renovate a ballet school built in 1903.

The Christensen Dance Academy building on Brigham City's historic Main Street could be described as the birthplace of American ballet, said Greg Geilmann, director of Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City.

"It was the Christensen brothers who brought ballet to America," he said. "Who would have thought that in all the places, this would happen here? You would expect something like this in New York or San Francisco or Philadelphia, but not Brigham City."

Willam, Harold and Lew Christensen founded the San Francisco Ballet, the San Francisco School of Ballet and Ballet West, and were the first to introduce "The Nutcracker" to American audiences in 1944.

Since then, Christmas showings of "The Nutcracker" have become an American tradition and a big moneymaker for ballet companies.

"It has become the lifeblood of American ballet," Geilmann said. "It keeps companies going the rest of the year."

The renovated building will include a Christensen museum to honor the famed Utah dancers, said Brigham City Mayor Lou Ann Christensen, who is not related.

Brigham City bought the building, which was most recently used for office space and then abandoned, in 1997. The $1.1 million from the federal government is a great start, Christensen said, but organizers will still have to raise more. It was unclear exactly how much will be required to complete the renovation.

Using earmarks, Bennett, R-Utah, secured $992,000 and Bishop, R-Utah, garnered $149,000 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tax watchdog groups carefully monitor earmarks, commonly referred to as "pork," to make sure they are in the best interest of the nation.

"Earmarks get a really bad name, but it's a gray area," said Ron Mortensen, a member of Northern Utah's Citizens for Tax Fairness. "It comes down to whether it's something appropriate for the federal government to be involved in. Some people think it's just free money, but it's not free money. Somebody paid for it out of their own pocket."

Mayor Christensen said she felt this is a time when earmarks are well-deserved.

"This is going to help all of Northern Utah and especially Box Elder County," she said. "I don't think there's an issue here with earmarks."

Bennett, who spoke at the celebration Wednesday, said he has taken criticism in the past for using federal money to support the arts, but it's something he feels is important.

"I come from a state that has a long history of spending public money to support the arts of all kinds," he said. "Utah has that reputation, and it's important that we preserve it."

The $1.1 million boon, however, is a one-time deal, Bennett added.

"You've got all the federal money you're going to get. Sorry about that," he said. "I've done the best that I can do, and so has Rep. Bishop. The rest is up to you."

The Academy steering committee has set up a nonprofit organization and will start fundraising soon, said Lori Hunsaker, co-chairwoman of the committee.

"We've committed to the citizens that we won't use (local) tax money to fund this program," she said.

She added that many people in San Francisco and across the U.S. are interested in helping to preserve this historic monument to ballet in America, so she's confident it can be done with private money from this point on.

"It's a stunning building, and I fell in love with it the first time I went in," Hunsaker said. "I just wanted ... to fix it up."

Today, the building is encased in dirty white plaster and is modestly decorated with murals of dancers and musicians where large arched windows once afforded passers-by a view into the lavishly decorated dance hall. Inside, the second-floor ballroom smells of water damage, and two pigeons peck across the parquet wood floor where ballerinas once danced, but the ornate tin ceiling painted in pink, blue and yellow gives a glimpse into the century-old glory of the Academy.

"Whenever I get discouraged and feel overwhelmed, I go into the building and into the ballroom," Hunsaker said. "I'm always recharged when I go in there."

Christensen ended the reception by pledging to use the appropriated money to preserve the important history of the Christensen Dance Academy.

"We will be the keepers of the past," she said.

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